A recent study may provide another definitive answer to why we should save the forest and prevent further deforestation.

In the study, researchers analyzed satellite images of tropical forests in various regions in the world, including Southeast Asia, from 2001 to 2020 to measure ground temperature increases and the role of deforestation.

The result could not be more convincing. More than 300 million people worldwide were exposed to hotter temperatures caused by the loss of trees as natural cooling, with around 28,000 heat-related deaths recorded each year in deforested areas.

Indonesia was one of the worst among the observed countries, with up to 6,000 deaths per year fueled by rapid deforestation and high vulnerability to heat. The study suggested the temperature in those deforested areas only increased by 0.27 degrees Celsius. This was enough to increase illnesses and deaths in rural areas, where there is limited access to cooling appliances and proper health care.

Previous studies have suggested that cutting down forests on a massive scale for various reasons, mostly economic, as the forests are converted into plantations, mining or housing, will ensure long-term damage that outweighs the short term benefits.

The heat increases that come from deforestation are a relatively new part of the bigger puzzle of how deforestation has harmed the country.

Several times in 2021, extreme rainfall caused flooding in various regions in Kalimantan. In some areas of Kalimantan, floodwaters had not receded after over a month. 

The government, under then-president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, initially denied that deforestation was the primary cause of the flooding. However, officials later acknowledged it was, and vowed to restore the natural environment to mitigate against similar floods in the future.

We can credit the government’s progress in reversing deforestation. The Forest Ministry has repeatedly claimed to have reduced the deforestation rate to around 170,000 hectares per annum, from over 1 million ha per annum a decade ago when wildfires swept Sumatra and Kalimantan.

President Prabowo Subianto should give more attention to the issue, starting with his admission that some of his programs are threatening the country’s remaining forest.

The President’s policies of opening more food estates and opting for wood-based biofuel to achieve food and energy self-sufficiency, may thus cause deforestation across the archipelago, and increase heat-related illnesses. 

Deforestation also often benefits a few political and business elites in Jakarta, leaving rural communities with limited resources to protect themselves from environmental destruction.

Adding insult to injury was a recent brouhaha around Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni, after a photo showing him playing dominos with a businessman once suspected of deforestation circulated on social media. While claiming to not know the businessman, the minister later admitted to ethical wrongdoing and apologized.

As a president who claims to be working and fighting for all people, especially the poor, Prabowo should take action against Raja Juli, who is mandated to protect the country’s forests.

The President should also tread carefully with, if not reconsider, his food and energy self-sufficiency plans if they put our forests at stake.